merican Atheists Tennessee State Director Carletta Sims is challenging draft legislation which would place the slogan "In God We Trust" on a new rendition of the state flag.

   House Bill 220, introduced by Rep. John Mark Windle, amends the state code by adding the religious motto on a "perpendicular bar of blue vertically, that is to say, from to to bottom of the flag or banner..."

   "It's just another effort to find a way to sneak religion onto public symbols, buildings and anything else identified with the power of government," said Ms. Sims. "This bill doesn't address any of the real problems in Tennessee like the environment, education or transportation. It's all about 'feel good' religion and public posturing."

   Sims added, "It's inappropriate to embellish the flag -- a government icon and symbol -- with a phrase that threatens the principle of church/state separation." She noted that the new flag would be placed in all government buildings and offices.

   The presence of "In God We Trust" and the inclusion of the "under God" phrase in the Pledge of Allegiance are often cited by Christian conservatives as proof that the country is somehow founded on religious, and distinctly Christian beliefs. The religious slogan, though, was not the original national motto. Thomas Jefferson suggested "E Pluribus Unum," "one out of many," and that phrase was officially adopted by the Founders in 1782, five years before the constitutional convention of 1787.

   Nearly a century later, "In God We Trust" was being promoted as a replacement slogan, part of a larger effort to declare the United States officially a "Christian nation." Rev. M.R. Watkinson persuaded the Secretary of the Treasury in 1861 to introduce "In God We Trust" as a motto on the coinage, thus supporting his contention that "There is but one God" and that America was a Christian nation. Congress complied with the passage of the Coinage Act of April 22, 1864, and the words were ordered placed on coins "when and where sufficient space in the balance of the design" would permit.

   In 1955, President Eisenhower -- in the midst of a cold war-era crusade against "Godless communism," signed Public Law 140 which ordered that the religious phrase be placed on all coinage and paper currency. The year before, Congress had unanimously ordered the inclusion of "Under God" in the nation's Pledge of Allegiance.

   The practice of using government symbols and buildings to affirm religious belief continues today. In July, 2000, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution encouraging display of the "In God We Trust" motto on public buildings. Similar measures have debated at the state and local level. In August of last year, for instance, American Atheists Colorado State Director Margie Wait helped in an effort where the Jefferson County School District voted to not post the "In God We Trust" motto in classrooms, saying that to do so would violate the separation of church and state.

   Back in Tennessee, Carletta Sims will be testifying against the legislation at a special hearing before the State and Local Government Subcommittee. Those wishing to support her efforts to stop HB 220 can reach her at csims@atheists.org, or visit the web site of the Tennessee State Director

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